Hey yo, author here! Big up searching4somehwere for giving the first review. Means the world when people care enough to leave one, hopefully means I'm doing something right! Longest chapter so far. There was originally going to be more in this as well, but got carried away. Again, thanks for every favourite, follow or review, really cool to see the engagement when you're doing this for the first time. Peace out – Seadavid41

I don't own Teen Titans, or any other DC characters mentioned. It would be pretty cool if I did though.

Ch. 4 Manipulation

With virtually every villain that the titans had ever fought now cryogenically frozen and handed over to the authorities, the crime rate in Jump City had fallen to an all-time low. The only villains that evaded capture were those who weren't present in the Brotherhood's lair when Beast Boy stormed the keep or had the common to sense to sneak away quietly as soon as the calvary had arrived. The Teen Titans had only been summoned to Jump City a handful of times since their return at this stage, and usually only to deal with minor crimes: robberies, muggings and the occasional patrol thrown in for good measure. Robin was grateful for the reprieve from constant missions, no doubt. But after a month back in Jump City, he was ready for the his next assignment, something he could really sink in his teeth into. He definitely didn't want to be busy again so he could put Starfire to the back of his mind for a while…that definitely wasn't it….

Robin groaned, letting his forehead fall and hit against his desk. The "World's Greatest Detective"…."The Boy Wonder"….or whatever you wanted to call him…. couldn't bring himself to ask a girl out, even though he basically knew she would say yes. Despite popular belief amongst the Titans, Robin wasn't completely blind. He knew Starfire liked him more than a friend…man, even the way he thought about in his head sounded so immature. At least, there was no debate on his side…he liked her, he could admit that to himself at the minimum. But they worked together…and they were heroes… a line of work where having any kind of relationship could be dangerous.

Any time Robin thought about just going for it, by listening to his heart over his head, just once, he couldn't help but remember when he was Slade's unwilling apprentice. The look in Starfire's eyes as she admitted she would not fight, the chilling voice of Slade in his ear telling him to use the thermal blaster…they were memories ingrained in his mind. If Slade's plan had been a success, Robin might have…he shook his head. It was for the best to not think about that. But just because Slade's plan had failed the first time, that didn't mean Starfire was safe. Obviously, Robin knew Starfire could take care of herself, but someone else could exploit them if they knew how close they were. Someone could refine Slade's plan, take Robin's free will out of the mix, or come up with something even more sinister. That possibility didn't even account for the fact the Slade was possibly still out there. Robin never did see Slade after they split up during Trigon's invasion, Robin in search of Raven and Slade in search of his humanity. Until Robin saw, him behind bars or...a body, he would never rule out the possibility of Slade returning.

But on the other hand, he had to think about what Starfire wanted. If they both wanted this, who was he to ignore her feelings just because he was afraid of hypotheticals? Robin lifted his head and leaned back in his desk chair, letting his hands rise up and fold behind his head. He needed a break. He needed something that could take his mind off of his problem, even for just a little bit. He would do something about it soon, it wasn't fair to Starfire to keep putting it off. He'd lost count of how many times had felt like the perfect moment to just…act on impulse and speak his mind to her, and he'd chickened out.

Maybe he just needed a confidence boost, a reminder that he was deserving of happiness too. Robin glanced up at the cork board above his desk, his eyes drifting to the sketches he had been working. Robin had been working away from his former mentor for long enough that…well he didn't quite feel like…well… "Robin" anymore. He needed a change of identity, something that showed he was his own person…and also he really liked the black and blue design he'd come up with. Perhaps it was time for a complete shift in character. "Maybe it's time I thought about what would make me happy for a change".

Robin was interrupted from his thoughts by the blaring of the Titans alarm for the first time in a few days. Robin's eyes darted to his monitor, to gauge exactly what was being reported in and couldn't help but feel his heart sink. He knew that some villains working with the Brotherhood had escaped…and he himself had secretly wanted a greater challenge than the common-or-garden thugs they had been dealing with recently, but this was going to hit close to home for the team…and for a certain member more than the others. Robin took in a deep breath and rose from his chair. The Titans would be in for a fight, and he needed to prepare with and brief the others. Robin strode out of his office, turning off the lights, a grim expression on his face, the image of Malchior rampaging through downtown Jump still providing a faint glow to the now empty room.

"Robin, I've finished the security checks on the Tower, looks like we had two unauthorized entries while we were away dealing with the Brotherhood, one month apart, no alarms set off, no defenses triggered. Whoever broke in, neither time was carried out by a run of the mill criminal. Getting into the tower so seamlessly would take the know-how and skill of an absolute professional. The only reason I figured out they were here at all was there two incidents of Raven's door being opened in the Tower log. I checked with Bee and none of the Titans East went in there because…well…I mean it's Raven's room."

Robin had finished briefing the Titans on the appearance of Malchior in Jump City and was now moving onto establishing the background, primarily, how the dragon was able to escape in the first place. The new information Cyborg provided was a double-blow. Assuming Raven returned from her room and confirmed that the book was gone, that meant someone from the Brotherhood had been able to infiltrate the Tower, most likely while Titans East were there, and steal the book from Raven's room. But, possibly even more worrisome, Cyborg had found a second unauthorized entry. At least for one case, it was essentially a standard robbery. A criminal entered, located the item they wanted, and escaped without being caught. The second entry? As far as Robin knew, nothing else had been taken and nothing disturbed. An unknown entity with an unknown motive had entered the Tower at their own leisure and left without a trace. That left a pit in Robin's stomach that wouldn't be disappearing until he'd solved that particular mystery.

Robin was broken out of his thoughts as the door to main ops slid open, indicating Raven had returned. It didn't take an expert in reading body language to work out that Raven was taking the situation pretty hard. "The book is gone….someone was in my room…went through my things…and stole from me." Raven had looked a little shook when she came back, but the steel in her voice was enough to let Robin know that she was up for the fight, a reassurance he didn't realize he needed. If it wasn't for the book the first time, Robin wasn't sure how they would have defeated the dragon. Now they were going face to face with him again, without their ace in the hole.

"I saw the Herald send him into a rift in space during the Battle with the Brotherhood, how is he even back on Earth?"

It didn't take long for Raven to have an answer. "Malchior's knowledge of magic was far beyond mine. I'm sure he would simply have already had the knowledge to travel back from the rift in his repertoire."

Starfire, looked away from the main monitor towards Robin. "Last time we fought this creature, Raven was able to imprison him within the pages of the book he came from. Without the book, even if we do subdue this beast, where would we be able to detain him?" Robin didn't even have time to think before Raven cut in.

"His magic is powerful and any spell I use on him, he'll try to counteract. But, if we can knock him out, I can use my powers to force him to take his more human form. We can detain him then. Cinderblock's cell should be free as he's still frozen. That should be big enough to hold him, human or dragon."

Robin looked at Raven with a grimace. "Raven…you said yourself… that was dark magic you were using."

"Robin, he's rampaging right now, in a civilian area of the city. Do you have a better idea?"

"If Raven is comfortable using that magic, let her do it, he deserves it anyway."

The venom in Beast Boy's voice was enough to make the heads of all the Titans swivel in his direction. The changeling was sat on the couch, burning a hole in the floor with the intensity of the glare he had on his face. The silence eventually drew Beast Boy's attention, who raised his eyes to find four Titans starring at him.

"What? I don't like the guy. Fighting villains is what we do, but most of them aren't out to get us, they're just hoping to get away with whatever they're up too. Malchior messed with a titan. Malchior made it personal. You need him unconscious Raven? It'll be my genuine pleasure."

Robin shot Beast Boy a puzzled look. He had mentally prepared for Raven's reaction to the news that Malchior was back. While it was none of his business, he was painfully aware that the dragon had tricked her, used her to get what he wanted and then cast her to the side. Raven didn't talk about the incident after that day. He knew Beast Boy had gone to her room late that night to try and help, but he never ended up finding out how that went.

However, he hadn't expected Beast Boy to have so much fire for this fight. But, in fairness to him, he had a point. Malchior was an exceptional case. His only motive was to escape his imprisonment, but to do that, he emotionally manipulated one of his teammates and then rubbed it in their face. A quick glace around the room showed that Cyborg and Starfire we're also evaluating Beast Boy's sentiments. Raven was looking at Beast Boy with intrigue, like he was a puzzle that she'd been working on all day but just couldn't solve. Robin sensed that if there weren't more pressing matters at hand, Beast Boy would have been in for an inquisition from Raven about why he was so worked up.

"Friend Beast Boy is right! That Clorbag messed with one of our own and we shall make sure he pays for it sufficiently!"

Cyborg rolled his neck from side to side, eliciting a solid crack. "By the time we're done with him, this overgrown lizard is gonna wish we just shoved him back in his book!"

Beast Boy leapt up from the couch, "You're damn right, so what are we waiting for?"

Robin couldn't help but crack a grin as well. "Absolutely nothing at all, Titans, let's move out!"

Robin had never been in an actual warzone. Most of his hero work had had taken place in either Gotham or Jump City. Sure, he'd been all over the world during the past few months and even before that, the odd mission would take the team somewhere different…space…underwater….a boat for a prom. He'd even scouted out Bludhaven, New Jersey as a potential spot to set up shop if he ever did decide to go solo for a while. But, when it came to an out and out warzone, Robin could only guess that he was as close to one as he was going to get as he surveyed the damage to downtown Jump City.

It seemed that the dragon didn't have any objective in mind, and even if he did, there was no deciphering it from the carnage that he had left in his wake. Several buildings were ablaze and missing chunks out them, cars were overturned and still smoldering, the source of the fire not a secret to anyone. Civilians were still desperately trying to clear the area, some covered in ash and dust from the debris. Robin glanced back at the damaged buildings. There were guaranteed to still be civilians trapped inside. While there were some members of the Jump City Police force and fire department already on site, trying to get into the ruined structures, Robin knew they'd need help if they were to minimize casualties. Cyborg brought the T-Car to a stop as the imposing figure of Malchior emerged from the turn of a junction in front of them. All of the titans clambered out of the car, looking at Robin expectantly.

"Okay, we're going to have to cover this on all fronts. Starfire, Beast Boy, we need to get Malchior out of the city. The docks aren't far from here. Approach him from the air and try and draw him away. Aim for his wings, we have to keep him in the same place, so we gotta take away his flight as an option. If he's here just for revenge, then hopefully baiting him shouldn't be that hard. Wait for my mark to take your first shot. Cyborg and I will attack from the ground, aiming for the legs. We take away his movement, the knock-out will follow. Raven, you'll be joining the aerial assault, but first, we have to get people trapped in these buildings out of here. Your powers have the best shot at moving debris safely."

Raven looked like she was about to protest, but at the last second decided against it and gave Robin a firm nod. She couldn't let emotions get the best of her. She was a hero first and foremost, and a hero goes out to save lives, not go looking for retribution…should that opportunity arise…well, she certainly wouldn't complain.

"Do not worry Raven, there will be plenty of Malchior still available to serve the cold dish of revenge too." Starfire's eyes glowed green, as she turned to Beast Boy. "Are you ready friend?" Beast Boy's eyes hadn't left the dragon. Raven tried to very gently get a read on her teammates emotion and was almost blown back by the sheer rage Beast Boy was giving off. She was glad that her friends wanted to take the dragon down for what he did to her, but Beast Boy was giving off anger as if he was the one who had been tricked.

"Let's do it Star, stay safe everyone". Raven's gaze shifted to Beast Boy at his words and was slightly caught off guard when she caught his stare. Beast Boy looked embarrassed to have been caught looking at her, but he shook it off quickly, and nodded at her, along with a reassuring smile. With that, Beast Boy shifted into a pterodactyl and him and Starfire took to the sky, both of them spiraling upwards. Malchior had yet to spot them and element of surprise was always useful in battle.

"Okay Cyborg, unless you're willing to bring your baby into the firing line, we're on foot from here. Once Beast Boy and Starfire have drawn him away, our target area goes from his hind legs, to his ankles. We take out his base, we keep him contained. It'll be a lot easier to deliver a knock-out shot if he can't get off the ground."

Cyborg cocked his arm cannon. "Right, let's not keep BB and Star waiting". As Cyborg started jogging towards the creature, Robin turned to Raven one last time. "I know you want to get involved, but you're the only one who can lift debris in a situation like this, while making sure the building doesn't come down. As soon as you've done all you can, head fo-."

Raven raised her hand, effectively silencing Robin. "It's okay Robin, I'm not letting myself get caught in the moment. I'll help clear the area and get over to you guys as soon as I can." Robin smiled at Raven and nodded before turning to follow after Cyborg.

"Oh but Robin?"

Robin swiveled back towards Raven, still moving in reverse.

"If there isn't a piece of him for me to demolish when I get there, I'm blaming you."

Robin shot her a wry grin. "Blame Beast Boy and we've got a deal."

Raven turned her attention to the buildings surrounding her. Firefighters had already made a sizeable impact, with what looked like four buildings already being cleared. Raven decided to focus her attention on the buildings where the entrances were still blocked. If she could clear those, then the first responders could clear the rest of the area while she left to help the Titans. It was a routine use of her powers, but in a situation like this, they proved invaluable. Within minutes, Raven had removed the obstructions blocking exits from six buildings, and civilians were able to slowly make their way out. Each building then got a quick fly-through to see if anyone was trapped or inured inside. Raven hadn't been paying attention to her friend's endeavors, but the sound of the dragon had only gotten fainter. Hopefully, Beast Boy and Starfire were finding some success.

She was going to be needed soon and there was no way she was going to risk one of the Titans landing a knock-out and then not being there herself to return him to his human form. There was only one building left that she had marked as needing her powers for. While it certainly wasn't the most damaged building she'd worked on, the rampaging fire on the upper floors made it demand her attention.

She quickly removed the debris blocking the entrance and people slowly started to filter out. However, one woman came out frantically. She was covered in ash, and she had clearly been in the danger zone when Malchior started his rampage. Her forehead was caked in dried blood and she was visibly shaking. She locked eyes with Raven. "Please, I'm begging you, my son is still inside! I couldn't get into his room, I tried to mo-". Raven dropped down from where she was floating in the air, beckoning a police officer over at the same time. The mother needed a medic…badly. Still, Raven was getting better with empathy and quickly placed a hand on the mother's shoulder before she was whisked away.

"I'll get your son out, I promise".

Without waiting for a response, Raven levitated into the air and reached out with her powers, looking for anyone in the building giving of strong emotions. She quickly found the boy, an unadulterated spike of fear emanating from the sixth floor. She was relieved to find that that was the only emotional signature she could sense inside. Raven approached the nearest window and shattered it with her powers, covering her face with her cloak as she moved inside. The room was already filled with smoke, and even with her makeshift face mask, Raven couldn't help but cough. She made her way through what she could only assume was once a quite quaint apartment, before finding the problem. She could now hear the scream of the child from behind a door at the back of the kitchen…a door now completely blocked by the fallout from a collapsed roof. The woman would never have had a chance.

Raven made her way over, her coughing getting worse and worse as she went, and cast the debris aside with a flick of her arms. When the door handle wouldn't work, a good old-fashioned shoulder barge did the trick, and Raven burst into the room. Inside wasn't much better. There were patches of flames dotted about the child's bedroom and she could barely see through the thick layer of smoke. Raven followed to sound of the child's cries before reaching a bed which she peered under. A pair of small eyes stared back at her, terrified.

"Take my hand, I'm gonna get you out of her. What's your name?"

The little boy reached a shaking hand out to grasp at Raven.

"S…St…Stephen".

"Alright Stephen, you're mother sent me to come and get you, I just need you to wrap your arms around me and I'm gonna bring you to her".

The boy scrambled out from beneath the bed, and latched himself to Raven's leg. Raven reached down and picked him up, intending to fly out of the window she came through, when she felt a small sensation made her blood run cold. Raven could feel the floor shifting beneath her feet. She frantically looked around the room, noticing how the bed and wardrobe's seemed to be sagging into the floor. She'd seen this before….the floor was about to give and she didn't have time to make it back to the window.

Raven coughed again. At this stage, she'd inhaled too much smoke and her mind was going fuzzy. Through the haze, she heard a cry and realized Stephen had slipped on the floor and wasn't holding her anymore. Raven dived for the kid, wrapping her arms around him, allowing her ethereal raven to take form as she did so. But she was too close to the wall and the raven didn't have to time to fully form. Raven burst through the back wall of the apartment, the opposite side from which she came in, using a combination of her powers and her own body. Raven had to adjust her eyes as she emerged from the ruined building.

The fresh air and sunlight allowed Raven to clear some of the fog from her head. It was at this point that she realized that she wasn't floating…she was falling…and fast. Raven looked down, relieved to see the little bundle in her arms was still holding her tightly. Raven tried to focus her thoughts but whether it was from the smoke, or her collision with the wall, the most she could do was make their descent a stop-start affair, eventually reaching the hitting the ground with a non-lethal but painful thud. Within seconds, Raven was surrounded by paramedics, who gently removed the boy from around her waist. Suddenly, one of them was in her field of vision.

"I know you're a titan, but you literally just fell out of the sky. We can hel-."

Raven stopped listening to him after that. His intentions were good, but he definitely did not understand the nature of the half-demon he was dealing with. Raven knew she wasn't in a state to walk away from here by herself, let alone go join another fight, but her friends were counting on her. It was her plan that they were acting on after all, and she was going to see it through. Raven brushed off the paramedic and stood, almost immediately regretting it as a wave of nausea overtook her, followed by a coughing fit.

"Ma'am?…ehm….Ms. Raven?... you almost definitely have a concussion. I know your colleagues are fighting the creature that appeared but you're in no cond-."

Raven was already gone, creating a disc with her powers and sending herself towards the docks. She put her hand on her forehead and was alarmed to pull it back and see fresh blood on her palm. Okay, so maybe she'd been hurt worse than she thought. But that could wait…she had to see the mission through. Raven's disc moved erratically, as she aimed for the docks, against all better judgement, ready for another fight.

Beast Boy had been undeniably relieved when Robin announced his plan to the Titans. Not because Raven was not going to be fighting Malchior initially (he wanted to see her put him in the ground again for sure), but because Robin had put him on offense. It was a non-issue now, but if Robin had decided to do anything else with him besides attack, he was pretty sure he would have been in for a lecture when he inevitably ignored him. Beast Boy knew he shouldn't be getting emotional before a battle. When he let himself get to invested in the final fight against Terra, if it wasn't for the other Titans arriving, he wouldn't have had time to convince her that she could make her own choices and that boulder may have found it's mark. But in this case, he simply couldn't help himself.

The Malchior incident felt like a lifetime ago at this stage, but he could still remember every detail so clearly. True, he wasn't exactly a wordsmith back then, and calling Raven creepy was definitely a moment to regret, but that didn't mean he didn't care about her. He'd tried to apologize, only for his animal hearing to pick up a smooth, male human voice. He could practically taste the disdain from whoever was behind the door. "Perhaps if we're quiet, he'll just go away". Who was this guy? Ever since Beast Boy had met Raven, eh had been trying to get Raven to smile, goddammit, to express any kind of happy emotion, and got virtually nothing. Then, all of sudden, there was someone in her room, getting a laugh from her, at HIS expense, while he was just trying to say he was sorry.

In truth, he'd been mad at Raven at the time. Sure, they'd fought before, and he'd always be the one to end up apologizing (usually because he was the one in the wrong) and she'd accept it and they'd move on. It was their one true….thing. But Raven had become dismissive of him…and over-confident. Whoever this guy was, Beast Boy didn't like the influence he was having on her. And then…she morphed him. Beast Boy knew he had reacted shocked at the time because…well he was shocked, and the Titan alarm had gone off two seconds later, but the more he dwelled on it, the more angry he had gotten. Raven had decided that is within her right to manipulate Beast Boy's very being…just like that…like he was nothing. Something to be molded as she saw fit, almost like he wasn't…a living person?

But he never got the chance to have that fight as Malchior decided to reveal his true intentions. Seeing Raven on the floor of her room like that after he'd burst through her roof… after casting her aside…his heart broke. It only registered with him after the fact that that sadness was probably the most emotion he'd ever seen Raven express. And so after it was all over, he stood outside Raven's room once again, forgetting all his anger and frustration at her and offering a shoulder to lean on. I'm not going away Raven, you can be as quiet as you want….I'm not going anywhere.

He'd forgotten his anger at Raven, but most certainly not at the dragon. Beast Boy's only regret about the final battle with the Brotherhood was that he didn't get to deal with Malchior himself. He'd have to remind himself to thank the Herald later. Malchior wasn't frozen with the rest of the villains now, and Beast Boy could give him the beat down he so badly deserved.

Starfire glanced over at Beast Boy as they ascended higher and higher into the sky above Jump City. Tamaranean's were dependent on being able to embrace their emotions to use their powers. As such, she had developed an excellent ability to pick up on people's emotions through expressions and body language. She couldn't help but feel slightly worried that she could tell Beast Boy was enraged by the look on his face….considering he was a pterodactyl.

"Friend Beast Boy, I think we are high enough". Beast Boy nodded at Star and they both hovered in the air, awaiting Robin's mark.

Starfire knew she had a minute or two before their signal…a minute or two where Beast Boy wouldn't be able to talk…only listen. She decided to do just a little bit of probing.

"You know Beast Boy, it is wonderful to see how much you care about defeating this enemy who manipulated friend Raven. I don't know if I've ever seen you so ready for battle!"

Beast Boy moved his head in a nodding motion. Starfire assumed that was him agreeing with her sentiment. "Okay, time push the buttons of Beast Boy…just a little bit".

"You know Beast Boy, you defend Raven's honor with the intensity that Robin defends my honor…why is that?"

Paleontologists around the world had studied the remains of dinosaurs from millions of years ago for decades, in the hopes of uncovering any kind of knowledge of their behavior and how they lived. If only any of them had been looking upwards in Jump City when Starfire said that, cause they would have learnt an incredible fact. Pterodactyls can, in fact, look embarrassed.

Beast Boy's wings lost their co-ordination for a split second, causing him to awkwardly flap harder on his left hand-side for a minute to keep his balance. When he finally righted himself, he looked at Starfire and made a series of cries at her before stopping, looking slightly confused.

"….Friend Beast Boy….did you just forget that you can't talk in your animal form?"

If a pterodactyl could blush, Starfire was pretty sure Beast Boy would be a lovely rosy pink right now. Instead, she would have to settle for Beast Boy avoiding eye contact.

Starfire let out a giggle. "It is okay Garfield. You merely seemed so serious a few minutes ago. I was simply hoping to do the lightening of the mood before we go into battle. It is always good to go into a fight with a clear mind!"

Beast Boy let out a low series of grunts, which Starfire took as him mumbling to himself. But she had no further time to enjoy the results of her work, as her communicator went off in her pocket. Clicking it open, Robin's face appeared on the small screen.

"We're in position Star, Cyborg and I can see you from our location. When you guys begin your assault, we'll make our move. It's on you guys now."

"Will do Robin". Starfire stowed her communicator away. "Feeling better Beast Boy?" It took him a second, but Beast Boy eventually looked at her and gave her the slightest of nods.

"Okay then! Let's allow this festive gathering to commence!" Starfire was about to wheel away to aim downwards before turning back to Beast Boy a final time.

"You know friend Beast Boy, I was only trying to fill the time….but your reactions to my questions were most interesting."

Starfire had already turned before the shifted Beast Boy could reply. That didn't matter though because Beast Boy had no response. On that day, paleontologists could also have learned that pterodactyls were in fact capable of getting dry mouth. Who knew?